tim burton's "alice in wonderland" ♥
"You're mad, bonkers ... but I'll tell you a secret: All the best people are."
-- Alice's Father
Visually, I found this film ABSOLUTELY. STUNNING. What probably amazed me the most was the incredible flow between reality and CG - the interaction between the live actors and the animated ones was so incredibly seamless, I didn't even notice that the Cheshire Cat wasn't real, or even the white rabbit ♥ It wasn't until after the movie, when I actually thought about it, did I actually realise and say to myself, "ohmygosh... Wonderland isn't real!" xD Now THIS is why I study Computer Science ♥
And the cast - oh, how I love this cast ♥ ♥ Helen Bonham-Carter stole every. single. scene. Only she could ever play the Red Queen and do the character justice :) Watching the behind-the-scenes, I realise how WEIRD it is to see Helen Bonham-Carter without a large head - whoever thought the Red Queen should have a large head and actually made it work in the film, my hat's off to you! (Well, I'm expecting that to be Tim Burton...) And Johnny as the Mad Hatter was A++ casting - channeling a little bit of Jack Sparrow in his walk, but altogether, a heartfelt performance from him, especially with the changing personalities. Oh, and his DANCE! ♥ ♥ Voice acting by Stephen Fry (yay!) and Alan Rickman (double yay!) just absolutely completed the cast - those two men have the most incredible voices ever. Anne Hathaway did pretty well... I think her character was meant to be shallow - well, let me rephrase that: there wasn't any chance for her character to develop, so she just played it as it is. Really laughed out loud during that scene where she and Alice were making the potion, though. The second part where my friend and I BURST out laughing was when Stayne cornered Alice in the castle's hallway and said, "I like... I like LARGENESS".
DEATH BY LAUGHTER - believe it, it is possible. Best pick-up line ever. :P
I liked the Alice they picked as well - Mia Wasikowska; I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I'm glad that Tim Burton didn't make it too dark - I found it to be fairly well-balanced actually, with the humour and action. Some of the key quotes were also inspiring and very Tim Burton-like, especially the quotes about how the best people are a little "bonkers" - a personal favourite of mine ♥ ♥
Plot-wise, yes, it isn't complicated at all and the objective is very focused and one-track. However, I never saw Disney's original "Alice in Wonderland" in its entirety nor have I ever read the book, so I'm not entirely sure what the actual story is supposed to be :P Though I liked the concept that it was Alice returning to Wonderland, and that there was a prophecy for her to fulfill, and through contemplating whether she is the "right Alice", she discovers herself. Absolem the Caterpillar had some of the best lines with regards to that - "... Stupid girl" xD I liked the scroll, and though I thought it would take away from the climax because the ending conflict had been thrown in our faces for the entire movie, I was just as excited to watch Alice fight the Jabberwocky ♥ I was also very excited to see the key scenes that I do remember from the Disney original, such as roses the roses being painted & the Red Queen playing hedgehog golf :)
The music was another bonus - loved "Alice's Theme". Immediately went on Youtube after the movie and listened to the soundtrack for the entire week - along with the Part 2 soundtrack containing the contemporary artists.
Overall, a positive kick-off to my Spring/Summer movie season!
"Sometimes, I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
-- Alice